BXBX NOVEL Chapter 570 Taking Charge (2)
Once Marcus had finished healing all of the injured solders, they all saluted him and thanked him for his generosity.
Of course, for him it had really only cost him a little bit of time and energy to do so, and in return he now had their loyalty and respect.
“Captain, I would like to speak with you in private now.”
Nodding his head, the captain followed behind Marcus.
However, as they exited the building, Dagwood was leaning against a nearby wall waiting for them. Much to the captain’s surprise.
To this point Dagwood had pretty much refused to interact with them unless necessary, and while he fought enemies when they showed up, it was not like he was a part of their unit.
He was just a rouge man fighting for what he believed in, and like Andrea he was not much of a fan of the kingdom’s soldiers.
“I thought I recognized you. You are Lady Irene Geist, right?” Dagwood asked addressing Marcus..
Looking at Dagwood up close for the first time since arriving, Marcus definitely recognized the guy from somewhere. He was certain of that.
Still no matter how hard he tired, he just could not place where he had seen this man before.
Yet to Marcus’ surprise, Dagwood bowed deeply, and said, “I would like to thank you for avenging me. The way you put that rotten and stuck-up noble Wyatt Mudak in his place allowed me to sleep better at night.”
Eyes wide with realization, Marcus now remembered who he was.
He was the one who had fought Wyatt in the first round of the tournament before he went up against and beat and humiliated Mrazivý.
During their match Marcus had not really been paying much attention to Dagwood. Since he had been at the time, more interested in Wyatt’s magic.
Also, during the tournament Dagwood had been referred to more as the wilderness knight. A wild man that fought on the frontier to protect the villages and towns up in the far north.
“Ah yes, I remember you now. Well, I am glad that I was able to avenge you against Wyatt. I mostly fought him the way I did for my friend that he hurt in the round after yours, but frankly I am glad that it helped you out as well.
“Now I need to discuss somethings with the captain here, but after I am done with that, I have some business to attend to with you. If you do not mind?”
Raising his head and smiling, Dagwood said, “I would be more than happy to speak with you since I feel indebted. I will be waiting in the center of the village keeping watch. Whenever you wish to speak to me, simply come find me there.”
After saying that Dagwood went on his way, and so did Marcus and the captain.
Soon they made it to the small building that the captain was using as his residence while staying in the village, so that they could talk in private.
“Okay captain, I would like a full update on what has been happening up here. I want causality reports and the locations of all of your soldiers. Oh, and also if you could tell me your name.”
“Yes Ma’am. First my name is Gatlin. As for causalities here in Norr village, we have lost twenty-seven soldiers since our placement here. For the other villages and small towns, I have not heard from most of them since I sent out squads to them before winter started. Unfortunately, with the conditions, it is nearly impossible to send out a messenger, and I am the only one with a sending stone which I can use to contact headquarters.” The captain said to Marcus with a serious expression on his face.
Sadly, he simply was cut off from the majority of his men that were scattered to the nearly thirty settlements that bordered the Great Gome Woods.
At the start he had been in command of three hundred fifty soldiers, but they had been split up into groups of eight to twelve and sent out to shore up the defenses of these frontier villages while the captain led sixty of his troops to Norr where the majority of the activity was.
“What about the six soldiers from the village just east of here. Did they make it to Norr after being run out?”
Hearing this Gatlin was surprised and confused, since he wondered how Marcus knew about that.
“Yes, they did, and reported that a nomadic tribe of beast people forced them out. Before that point though they had already lost four people to attacks from beasts and monsters. But if I might ask, how did you know about that?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Marcus said, “It is simple, that is where I went first. That village is close to my original home that no longer exists, and I had to make sure they were okay. When I arrived, I had a little trouble form Andrea’s tribe, but we came to an understanding. Anyway, that is why I came to talk to you today. I made a deal with her, and her people, and they are going to help me clean up the lower area of the woods of beasts and monsters. While we do that, I want you to keep on defense and protect these settlements from any fleeing creatures that might attack.”
Shaking his head, the captain said, “Lady Irene, there is no way you can trust them. If they were strong enough to fight the beasts and monsters amassing in the woods, then they would not have taken over that village. I believe that it would be better to slowly organize our troops and wait for reinforcements before initiating any sort of assault. In the meantime, we can use your power to protect Norr Village and I can divert my soldiers to some of the others.”
“Sorry, that is not the plan. I already struck a deal and am planning to follow through with it. Bringing in more troops during the winter would be practically impossible, and in another five or maybe six months it could already be too late. I managed to get here quickly because I can fly and the cold is no issue to me, but the kingdom does not have many like me at their disposal, and the majority of their strongest forces are already far down south in Tralenstein. I am the only reinforcements that will be coming up here for some time, so I am going to make use of what strength I can. This is not up for debate, and I am giving the orders here. I want you to prepare to depart in an hour. We will be stopping by the other villages and towns you sent soldiers to so that we can assess their situations. Then tomorrow, I will begin cleaning out the woods that are close to bursting.”
When he had finished talking Marcus stood up and looked sternly at the captain, making sure he knew who was in charge here before heading out towards the center of town.
When he arrived, he saw Dagwood sitting up in a tall watchtower the stood above all of the buildings in the village and gave him a view of the surrounding area.
Climbing up the ladder to the top, he sat across from Dagwood in the small space.
“So, what did you need from me?” Dagwood asked, while gazing out over the forest.
“I was hoping to get your help with something. I have made a deal with Andrea and her tribe, and tomorrow they are going to help me clear out woods. But before I came over here, she recommended that I get you onboard as well. You are pretty strong, and it would be useful to have your assistance. I believe that it would also align with your goal of protecting the settlements up here.”
Sitting in silence for around a minute, Dagwood thought carefully about what to do.
“Very well, I shall agree to help as a means to repay you for avenging me in the tournament. I know that was not your intention, but I still feel grateful to you. Therefore, I shall lend you my strength.”
Smiling, Marcus thanked Dagwood for his cooperation, and then said, “We will be beginning tomorrow when the sun reaches its highest point. If it would not be too much trouble, do you think that you could head over to the village to west of here where Andrea and her tribe are?’
Nodding his head Dagwood agreed to do so, and quickly dropped out of the tower.
Following behind him Marcus told him that he would meet back up early tomorrow morning in the village and that he still had a few things to take care of here first.
Once he and Dagwood separated, Marcus headed back to the barracks where the soldiers were and waited for the captain to be ready to leave.
“Are you ready to go Gatlin?” Marcus asked to the captain when he arrived.
“Yes, I am Lady Geist. But how exactly are we going to get to the other villages in such a short amount of time?”
“Let us go outside and I will show you.” Marcus said with mischievous grin.
Luckily Gatlin did not pick up on this and did not expect what Marcus was going to do.
Grabbing the straps of his armor, Marcus made sure he had a good grip on the captain before casting his tier five iron magic spell and shooting into the air.